Everyone knew that Rashod Dubinion had the ability to take off as a sophomore for Arkansas. After all, the Ellenwood, Georgia, native ran for 293 yards and five touchdowns as a true freshman last season.
What wasn't expected was the multi-game absence of preseason All-SEC First Team running back Raheim "Rocket" Sanders, who has been sidelined for three straight games after suffering a knee injury against Western Carolina.
With Sanders out, Dubinion has rushed for 174 yards and one touchdown on 41 attempts. That includes a 78-yard performance and 5.2 yards per carry average against LSU last weekend, an impressive feat against a talented Tigers' defensive line.
"It was a wonderful experience," Dubinion said Tuesday. "I liked the crowd and the atmosphere. They have great fans and great support. There was 100,000 people there, and we could hear all of them."
Dubinion has seen a steady growth in production throughout the season after only totaling 15 rushing yards in the season opener against the Western Carolina. It all started with trusting the offensive line, he said.
"I was going off what I knew last year with the older guys that had left in the game it was kind of faster," Dubinion said. "I just started trusting the O-Line and taking what they give me. Hitting the right holes, slowing down my steps, making the right reads."
Despite Dubinion's excellent running, the Razorbacks dropped a heartbreaker to the Tigers in Death Valley, 34-31, on Saturday. Moral victories are never ideal, but seeing the team play hard against a ranked team on the road is a positive for the rest of the season. The most difficult part is maintaining that level of competitiveness throughout the schedule, something Dubinion said he believes the team can do if they clean up self-inflicted mistakes.
"First off, I'd say we come out clicking on all cylinders," Dubinion said. "Don't beat ourselves because that's what will happen. Most of the time, we're beating ourselves with the penalties and things of that nature. We can't blame the refs, we've got to just execute and win the right way. That's what we've been preaching all year is winning the right way."
Though Dubinion has been impressive in the early goings of the season, roles will be changing for him and the rest of the running back room with Sanders slowly making his return to the fold.
Sanders was seen running with the first team offense during Tuesday's practice, and it's a good sign he might return from his knee injury this weekend against Texas A&M.
"I see the same things you guys see,” Dubinion said. "I'm so excited that he's back. He's a tremendous leader as well. Him and AJ Green and Dominique Johnson. They keep me motivated every day bringing it to practice. It makes me step my game up."
Dubinion will have to keep stepping his game up, though, as Texas A&M's defensive front ranks No. 38 in the country in rushing defense with 109.8 yards allowed per game on the ground.
"Back to what I said at first, trusting the O-Line," Dubinion said. "Back to what I said at first, trusting the O-Line. They have a tremendous group up front, and I believe we have a good O-Line as well. We have concepts and things of that nature to stop what they're doing or execute based on what they're running."
At the end of the day, all that matters to Dubinion is winning.
"I take every game the same way," Dubinion said. "I love winning. I come from a winning background. This one we have to win. I don't think we should lose any more."
Arkansas and Texas A&M will face off in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday. The game is set to kickoff at 11:00 a.m. CT and it will air on SEC Network.
